Burgling Friends
by Medie Shanachie
Summary: Parker is sent to fetch some things for a friend, but it's Parker...


_**Characters:** Parker  
**Fandom:** Leverage  
**Warnings:** No not really  
**Spoilers:** Nope  
**Disclaimer:** *sigh* Nope I didn't win them in the lottery so just the story idea belongs to me--not Leverage, Parker or Eliot or Hardison.  
**Author's Note:** So I was going to completely blame this on **ctrokj** but since I'm the one that actually FOUND the picture AND screen capped it...yeah I can't completely blame it on her...but she was the one who made the comment about putting the bear in ELIOT'S arms...versus CK's...so yeah...this is what I came up...and LOOK! I wrote my second NON-Eliot story...even if he does get a mention or six._

* * *

Parker grinned to herself as she slipped into Eliot's apartment. Normally she wouldn't even consider burgling one of her team's apartments, but she wasn't…not really. Nate had sent her to get dry clothes for the retrieval specialist since he had taken a dip in the lake during their last job. She still wasn't entirely sure _how_ he had ended up in the lake, but since it gave her a chance to poke around his apartment unaccompanied, she wasn't going to argue.

Getting to her feet, she quietly closed the door and looked around the great room. It fit the stoic member of the team, the one she had come to rely on to save her when things went wrong. She had never expected to have a family, but somehow the team had become just that. Still she had never been inside Eliot's home. She looked around as she cat-footed through the room. Heavy furniture formed a circle on one side, creating a welcoming retreat. The chairs were covered with blankets that had a Southwestern flair. The other side of the room boasted an open kitchen with way more gadgets than she had ever seen.

Tearing her gaze away from all the shiny in the kitchen, mostly because she had no idea what to do with any of it, she went for the first closed door she saw. Opening it, she quickly closed it again when she realized it was his bathroom. Nate had plenty of towels and she had been instructed to get clothes only. Glancing around the room, she tried to figure out where his bedroom was. Finally she noticed a set of floating steps going up the side of one wall.

With a grin, she bounced on the first one. They seemed like such a playful thing for Eliot, but the steps were remarkable study. Reaching the top, she paused for a minute. She knew she was under orders, but she did have some morals and she never stole from friends.

A king-sized bed dominated the room; neatly made with a black comforter and pillows. Beyond were two dressers; a tall one and a shorter one. Neither had much on top. A bowl for loose essentials, a couple of knives, and a set of brass knuckles graced the shorter one, but there was just a picture frame on the taller. A pair of glasses rested on the night-table next to the bed and Parker scooped those up. She knew Eliot occasionally wore them and she thought he might need them.

Opening a drawer in the shorter one, she discovered jeans and grabbed two pairs. She knew Nate wasn't going to let Eliot leave until they were sure he hadn't caught something from the lake. Opening another drawer, she pulled out a couple of black t-shirts, rubbing her fingers over the soft feel of them. Frowning, she realized the other drawers in the shorter dresser held more pants and shirts.

Setting the clothes on the bed, she looked around the room and spied a built in closet in the corner. Opening it, she found neatly hanging shirts and she grabbed a few of the flannel ones figuring they would be comforting. Boots lined the floor and she picked a pair of hiking boots, grunting when they were heavier than she expected.

Hands on her hips, she realized she was going to have to look in the taller dresser. Pulling on the top drawer, she frowned as it didn't open. Putting both hands on it, she tugged harder, and then slid backwards as it popped open. The picture on top toppled over as her butt hit the floor. Rubbing it as she stood up, she realized the frame had cracked. Grimacing, she picked it up. She didn't know the people in the picture, but they were obviously important to him. As she tried to put the frame back together, she realized there was another picture behind it.

Unable to resist, she slipped the picture out and unfolded it. A much, much younger Eliot was displayed in the photo, curled up around a teddy bear. Parker had no idea who had taken the picture or when, but this was blackmail too good to pass up. With a maniacal grin, she tucked the snapshot into her pocket. Quickly putting the frame back together, she set it back in the exact position it had been in.

Rifling through the drawers, she found underwear; only half registering the answer to the question Sophie had been musing on over boxers or briefs (the correct answer was boxer briefs) and grabbing thick, warm socks. The picture was accompanying all of her mind and the best way to use it. Scooping up the clothes and tossing them into the bag she had brought for that purpose, she decided she'd need to enlist Hardison's help.

* * *

The infamous picture:

http://i33 .photobucket .com/ albums/ d64/ shanachie13/ Leverage% 20Goodies/ Christian% 20Kane% 20goodies/ teddybear .jpg


End file.
